News

September 26, 2013.
Soyuz TMA-10M launched to the International Space Station!
The crew onboard the spacecraft consists of: O. Kotov, S. Ryazanskiy, M. Hopkins.

In accordance with the mission plan of the International Space Station (ISS) and Russian commitments under this international project, a manned transportation spacecraft Soyuz TMA-10M was launched from Baikonur launch site at 00:58:50 Moscow Time.

The objective of the launch is to deliver to ISS a crew of three in order to bring the crew of Expedition Thirty Seven (ISS-37) up to six.

The spacecraft crew: Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov (commander) and Sergei Ryazanskiy (flight engineer) and US astronaut Michael Hopkins (flight engineer-2).

The spacecraft was put into a parking low-Earth orbit with the following parameters: 51.69њ inclination , 199.1 km minimal altitude, 241.1 km maximum altitude, 88.63 minutes orbital period.

The onboard systems of the spacecraft operate normally.

At the launch site, the spacecraft prelaunch processing and launch were performed under the direction of the State Commission. The Commission was basing its decisions to proceed with each next step in processing and launching on the final report of the Technical Management headed by the President of RSC Energia, Designer General V.A. Lopota.

According to the telemetry data and reports from the crew of ISS, the space station systems operate normally. The station is ready for docking with the spacecraft.

 

For information:

1. RSC Energia is the prime manned space flight organization in the Russian rocket and space industry, responsible for the development of the ISS Russian Segment, its integration into the Space Station and its operation, including development and operation of its principal modules (Zvezda, Pirs, Poisk, Rassvet, etc.), manufacturing, launch and operation of Soyuz TMA and Progress M spacecraft.
2. Currently working onboard ISS is the crew of ISS-37 consisting of: Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano.
3. The docking of Soyuz TMA-10M with the ISS is scheduled for September 26, 2013 and it will be using a four-orbit rendezvous profile with final approach occurring at 06:48 Moscow Time.
4. The mission plan for Soyuz TMA-10M, just as it was in the case of the two spacecraft preceding it, calls for the spacecraft to rendezvous and dock with the ISS using a quick rendezvous profile after its orbital insertion.